| Window | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Season | 12 OCT 2026 – 28 FEB 2027 | 140d |
As publishedOct 12, 2026 – Feb 28, 2027
Statewide season (grouse occur mainly in NC's western mountain counties).Habitat dependent on early-successional forest conditions has been deteriorating over recent decades per NCWRC's own species page. Bag limit confirmed 2026-08-18 from the published 2026-27 NC Inland Fishing, Hunting & Trapping Regulations Digest.
NCWRC's own Ruffed Grouse Drumming Survey, the most consistently published annual grouse survey, running continuously since 2002, directly quantifies where North Carolina's grouse population concentrates, and the 2023 and 2024 editions give a clear three-tier density picture across the western mountains. The species page separately notes a few remnant birds in northern Piedmont counties, but no survey coverage exists there to name a specific area.
Governing source is NCWRC's Ruffed Grouse Drumming Survey across the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests (since 2002) -- the most consistently published annual grouse survey found in this six-state batch, with dedicated PDF summaries confirmed published in sequence for 2020 through 2025. The species page confirms the 2025 edition remains the latest linked, with no 2026 edition yet. Expected on the same annual cadence.
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